


Faced by the Moon

by LdyBastet



Series: Red Pineapple Romance [7]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Fundoshi, M/M, servitude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 13:42:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15074378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LdyBastet/pseuds/LdyBastet
Summary: Renji is atoning for the confusing events that took place between his and Byakuya's gigai. Can he handle his new duties as Byakuya's manservant? Will he ever be able to smell the scent of green tea and jasmine again without thinking of Byakuya's shampoo?





	Faced by the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my old fics, that I'm finally getting up on the archive.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** The world and characters of Bleach belong to Kubo Tite. Japanese traditions belong to the Japanese people. I mean no disrespect or infringement borrowing from both to dress this attempt at transformative work in "clothes" familiar to fans of Bleach. I earn no money from this, only joy (and a few comments).

At precisely 6 o'clock, Renji stood outside Byakuya's bedroom door. He'd bathed quickly, he'd shaved, he'd brushed his hair and put it up in the usual ponytail, and he was wearing a clean and newly-pressed uniform. He lifted his hand to knock on the door frame, but hesitated, making another mental check-through of his appearance and preparations. After a slow intake of breath, he conquered the trepidation he felt and finally managed to disturb the silence of the house, knocking carefully.

"Taichou?" Renji whispered. "Can I come in?"

There was no reply, so Renji carefully opened the door to tiptoe inside.

The room was almost dark, just vaguely illuminated by the rays of the rising sun, filtered through the covered window. Renji's tabi socks made no sound on the tatami mats as he stepped closer to the figure on the futon. It felt wrong to stand up, towering over Byakuya, so Renji knelt on the floor.

Byakuya was lying on his side, hair fanned out on the pillow and his face peaceful. Renji swallowed. Byakuya was still sleeping, despite someone stepping into his bedroom? Renji knew that Taichou was always on his guard, always alert, never taken by surprise; it meant something, Renji thought, but what? He placed a somewhat shaky hand on Byakuya's shoulder. "Taichou?" It was thin under his hand, and yet, Renji could feel the wiry muscles through the fabric of the yukata Byakuya was sleeping in. Byakuya was slim but he wasn't frail. "Taichou?" he repeated, a little louder this time.

Byakuya opened his eyes. "Renji," he said, and before Renji had time to restrain it, his heart made a strange leap at his name being the first word spoken by Byakuya.

"Yes, Taichou. It's morning..."

"I can see that." Byakuya's face had lost the peacefulness and it had been replaced by something that looked more like boredom, and Renji's heart sank back into its usual resting place.

Byakuya pushed back the covers and sat up. "Draw me a hot bath." He gestured towards a wall of screen doors.

After first looking into Byakuya's wardrobe, Renji managed to find the door to the bathroom, and prepared a bath for Byakuya. There were little bottles of sweet-smelling bath oils on a small shelf by the tub and Renji felt a little guilty looking at them and reading the labels. Scents were so private, so personal, and here he was, finding out such intimate information as Byakuya's favourite shampoo... There was a sound behind him, and Renji whirled around, almost dropping the bottle he was holding. 

"Is it done?"

"Yes, Taichou." Renji turned off the taps and then quickly headed for the door, passing so close to Byakuya that their shoulders almost touched. "I'll-- I'll see about your breakfast." He slid the door closed behind him. This was going to be harder than he'd thought, Renji realised. After a while, he could hear the sound of water splashing behind him, and his mind cheerfully offered up an image of Byakuya getting into the tub. Naked. "Breakfast," Renji mumbled and fled the bedroom.

~*~

Renji followed Byakuya to the tea house, two steps behind him. All Byakuya had told him was that he was having a guest, and Renji was carrying a bucket of fresh, cold water that he'd fetched straight from the well. He stepped out of his shoes outside the low doorway to the little house and crawled inside after Byakuya.

While Byakuya set about heating up some water, Renji let his gaze wander around the room. He'd never been in a private tea house before, but he wasn't surprised to find out that Byakuya had one. Byakuya had everything: a beautiful garden with a stream, a pond full of expensive fish, rare flowers, blooming sakura trees, an enormous house with more rooms than anyone could ever need and so many winding corridors that it had taken Renji almost ten minutes to carry Byakuya's breakfast from the kitchen to his bedroom the first morning. That had partly been because he'd got lost twice, of course. This room, this tea house, was almost bare, belying the luxury that it was. It had the traditional tatami mats, the clay walls, the lashed timber in the ceiling, the fire pit lowered into the floor, the little corner for washing the tea cups and other utensils, and the little alcove with flower arrangement. The single flower in it looked fresh.

Byakuya had noted Renji's gaze. "I made that yesterday," he said quietly.

Of course Byakuya did flower arrangements, Renji thought. Was there anything that man couldn't do? "It's... beautiful."

"Thank you."

Light footsteps came closer, and there was the sound of someone rinsing their hands at the little well outside. Shortly after, the door slid to the side and Ukitake crept inside through the low door.

"Welcome," Byakuya greeted him.

"Thank you for the invitation," Ukitake replied and smiled. "Oh, Abarai-kun! Are you here too? That was certainly unexpected."

Renji gave him an embarrassed laugh and then bowed deeply, while Byakuya made a more noncommittal sound, gesturing to the other side of the hearth. Ukitake took his place, and calmness and silence settled with them. While Byakuya made the tea, Renji and Ukitake exchanged glances. In the end, Renji found it easier to just focus on what Byakuya was doing.

When Byakuya handed him a tea bowl, he presented it to Ukitake with a small bow, and then also passed on the tray with the sweet biscuit shaped like a cherry blossom petal. He was surprised when another small tray with a biscuit and a tea bowl appeared in front of him. Renji looked up at Byakuya. "Taichou?"

"Can't have you just sitting there, Renji," was Byakuya's only explanation, and Renji felt oddly moved that Byakuya had decided to include him, even though his only reason for being there was that he was being punished.

After the tea, Renji was put to work, cleaning the bowls and other utensils, and he did so very carefully. He knew enough to know that this was not something Byakuya would let just anyone do, and that they were valuable. After wiping them dry, he wrapped them up and replaced them into the little cupboard by the wash stand.

~*~

Renji had managed to survive his first day in the Kuchiki household, but it did not get any easier.

Waking Byakuya was every bit as strange and daunting on the second morning. It just felt wrong to disturb him when he looked so ... vulnerable; in fact, Renji felt much like an intruder, and he hated having to ruin the look of relaxation on Byakuya's face.

This time, Byakuya closed the door when he stepped into the bathroom. Renji didn't know where to look when he unceremoniously let the yukata fall. Byakuya's feet seemed like a good choice, though. They were very nice feet - nicely shaped, clean, toe nails clipped...

"Renji."

Out of habit, Renji stood to attention, not remembering why he'd been looking down. He could feel his cheeks heat when his gaze had travelled all the way up to meet Byakuya's, not fast enough to miss some of the details. "Taichou?"

Byakuya moved closer, and then sat down on the low stool beside the tub, his back towards Renji. "Scrub my back."

Renji swallowed hard. "Yes, Taichou."

"Take off the uniform first," Byakuya said, and Renji stared at the back of his head. "It will get wet."

"Oh. Yeah... right." 

Renji felt awkward and clumsy when he undressed. He knew he didn't have the grace that Byakuya had, and he hopped most undignified on one foot when his toes snagged in the fabric. He folded his uniform so it would still look neat later. Dressed only in his fundoshi, he knelt behind Byakuya and reached for the bowl to scoop hot water from the tub to pour over Byakuya's back.

Just when Renji thought he was done with his task - lathering and scrubbing and rinsing - Byakuya stood up, and Renji was faced with the most perfect set of buttocks he'd ever seen. He had seen them before of course, but then they'd been partially - very partially - obscured by Byakuya's underwear. This, however, was like a dream come true, Byakuya's rounded arse close enough for Renji to touch... or lick.

Byakuya didn't move, and Renji couldn't stop staring, his cock getting harder and harder.

"What are you waiting for, Renji?" Byakuya asked in his usual, disinterested voice, and Renji had to shake his head to clear his thoughts. Did Byakuya actually expect him to..?

"That's not your back, Taichou," Renji croaked.

Byakuya made a small shrug. "It's close enough."

Renji reached for the soap again, cursing silently in his head. He had no idea how he would manage this without going crazy... or without his fundoshi ripping open.

~*~

On the third morning, they arrived together at the Sixth Division, heading for Byakuya's office, and then Renji spent the entire day running back and forth with scrolls of paper, reports, and heavy books. It was agony for Renji whenever Byakuya called for him or beckoned him over to stand by his desk while he gave him instructions. Renji couldn't stop looking at the way Byakuya's hair fell over his shoulders, or the way he moved his hand when he reached for the writing brush, or the way he narrowed his eyes slightly when there was something he read that he didn't approve of... and Renji couldn't stop thinking about his morning duties. That in turn made the errands agonising as well. He hated running around with an erection, feeling it at every step and reminding him of the reason for it, making it worse.

When the day was finally over Renji went home with Byakuya, to serve his dinner and to run him another bath.

It didn't take more than a few days before a few people in the Division were beginning to give Renji strange looks. He just growled at them, and when Rikishi asked him why Kuchiki-Taichou kept him so busy and why he was so tense, Renji barked that he was Fukutaichou after all and it was only natural. No one asked more questions after that, and no one said anything about him spending so much time at the Kuchiki estate. Not until he ran into Rukia on his way home one evening. He was walking through the garden, heading for the gate, and she was heading in the other direction, to the house. 

"Renji?"

"Rukia." Renji stopped, glad to see her again.

"I thought I saw you last night too, but I thought I was mistaken. But... it was you?"

"Heh, um, yeah." Renji laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Why are you here again... so late?" She looked suspiciously at him.

"It's because of work... Well, something that happened at work." Renji didn't want to lie to her, but that was as close to the truth he dared to go. "Didn't know you were back."

"Only for a few days." Rukia's features softened. "I'll go back to Karakura tomorrow."

"Oh."

"Are you busy tonight?"

"No. I'm done with work for today. I have to get up early tomorrow, though... so no heavy drinking," he joked.

"One day I _will_ drink you under the table," Rukia muttered. 

"Yeah, right." Renji ruffled her hair.

She glared at him, but then a smile broke through. "We can get something to eat and head out for the hill overlooking the town?"

Renji grinned. "Sounds good to me." It would be nice to talk to her again, just like old times, and he looked forward to having something to distract him from his thoughts about Byakuya and his confused feelings regarding the man. Rukia was one of his best friends, even if this was something he could never ever talk to her about.

The next day would be his last day as Byakuya's servant; the punishment was supposed to be over after that, but the more Renji thought about it, the less he liked it. Even if it was scary as hell to be so close to Byakuya and get to see all these _private_ things and habits, he felt almost as if Byakuya actually saw him now, and he didn't want to lose that.

Also, it would be a shame to no longer be able to scrub Byakuya's back before the bath. A real shame! It was worth the constant and near-painful erection, he decided. If he fucked up again, maybe Byakuya would prolong the punishment?


End file.
